Sermon Central
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Verse 14 (Where The Psalmist Calls God Awesome ...
Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Jun 4, 2009 (message contributor)
Verse 14 (where the psalmist calls God awesome and says he needs to fall down to the ground in adoration of God) is often misunderstood, though. There is a scene in a very cynical, satirical movie that applies to the world’s misunderstanding of praise. It is a scene from a Python film called "The Meaning of Life," a scene where the headmaster of a private school in England leads the boys in prayer. The prayer begins saying that God is very big. It goes on to say that we are mightily impressed with how big God is. God is sooooooo big! God is super! And it ends by talking about how prayer is “toadying” to God. In case you don’t know that term, it’s British English for kissing up to a person or being sycophantic. In short, the satire suggests that God has such low self-esteem that God requires us to praise Him to reassure Him of His superiority over other claims to faith.
That ISN’T why we praise God as an awesome God. We praise God as an awesome God to remind ourselves that we have nothing to fear, nothing so problematic that God cannot handle it, and nothing that is beyond God’s capacity. God doesn’t require our praise to reassure Him. God requires our praise to encourage and inspire us.
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John Was A Very Lonely, Wealthy Old Man. He Had ... PRO
Contributed by Gaither Bailey on Jun 20, 2005
John was a very lonely, wealthy old man. He had worked hard all his life and built a great business and made loads of money. But, he was all alone. One Sunday evening as he was talking a walk to clear his head, he was drawn to a church where he heard wonderful, joyous music. It was a spiritual ...read more
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A Wealthy Man Was Taking A Cruise When Suddenly ... PRO
Contributed by Gaither Bailey on Jun 20, 2005
A wealthy man was taking a cruise when suddenly the announcement came that the ship was sinking. The man took his sack of gold coins around his waist and jumped overboard trying to swim to safety. Unfortunately, the weight of the coins ...read more
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People Refuse To Believe That Which They Don't ...
Contributed by Lou Nicholes on Oct 18, 2004
People refuse to believe that which they don’t want to believe, in spite of evidence. When explorers first went to Australia they found a mammal which laid eggs; spent some time in water, some on land; had a broad, flat tail, webbed feet, and a bill similar to a duck. Upon their return to England, ...read more
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Obedience For Our Own Safety
Contributed by Bill Butsko on Jan 4, 2007
“Obedience for Our Own Safety” An aviation cadet, on a practice flight, temporarily stricken blind, in panic radioed that message to his control officer. The officer radioed back, “Follow my instructions exactly.” After keeping the blinded cadet circling the field until the whole field was ...read more
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I Read About A Pastor Who Decided To Experiment ... PRO
Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Jan 16, 2007
I read about a Pastor who decided to experiment with changing those sad statistics in his church. He made a list of 12 people who had recently been baptized in their church, and then he and his wife invited them over. Naturally, these new Christians were thrilled to be invited to their Pastor’s ...read more
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